My Hokuto Academia
I DO NOT own Hokuto no Ken or My Hero Academia, they belong to their respective creators, Tetsuo Hara, Buronson, and Kohei Horikoshi. Support the official releases, especially of Souten no Ken. Oh, someone's already translating Souten no Ken: Regenesis [manga version] already!
Italics = Flashback
"Italics" = Speaking in a Different Language
'Italics' = Inner Thoughts
Italics = Flashback
"BOLD" = All-Might's tone or Present Mic [excited]
Note: All music mentioned here belongs to their original makers and owners.
Chapter Fifty-Five: Welcome the Duelists Grand Prix
Kasumi Residence
The four students were panting hard, covered in bruises, more than their usual training when Kirishima soon fell to the floor wheezing harshly.
"Well aside from Kendo, you three..." Rouga pointed to his students that were having difficulty, "Have a lot of work if you want to improve."
"Right... ow..." wheezed Kirishima, still on the floor. Jirou was clutching her arm but her whole upper body felt sore covered in bruises. Tsu's kept her poker face, but her body trembled a bit from the soreness she was feeling. Kendo, on the other hand, was covered in the least amount of bruises, mainly focused on her forearms.
"Ow... do you always hit this hard?" groaned Jirou kneeling on the floor.
"When sparring with Midoriya, yes."
Her eyes widened at Rouga's response, but she noticed Kendo's still-calm face. Before she could ask though, Kirishima was the one who asked first, "W-Wait, you mean you and Midori Bro spar harder than usual?"
"Hmm? Yeah, normally we do, I guess. Never really thought about it until now."
"T-The h-hell?" sputtered Jiro.
"A few times we sparred to the point of exhaustion. Usually, it ends up with a double KO, and we wake up the following morning on the floor."
The four soon realized that Rouga was treating them as they were on par with Midoriya's level completely shocking them.
"Did you ever think to dial it back a bit?!"
"No, not really. Should I have?" Rouga replied nonchalantly making his four students face-fault at his reply.
"Of course you dunce! Do we look like Midoriya?!" Jiro yelled angrily making Rouga laugh at her reaction.
"Alright, alright, calm down. I'll dial it back for you three. Kendo?"
"Yes?"
"Feel free to kick it up a notch the moment they start improving."
The sinister grin forming on Rouga's face only made the other three as they each wondered just what kind of training did they sign up for.
"Yes Sensei," Kendo replied in an affirmative tone making the other three face-fault again.
'She's not even phased by this!' The three thought at the same time.
Day Two
Kyoka and Tsuyu were taking turns on a punching bag, punching it dead-center with each strike. The difference between the two was that Kyoka favored punches more due to her quirk while Tsuyu preferred kicks due to her frog quirk physiology.
POW! POW! POW!
Jirou would perform her set of hooks, roundhouse kicks, and elbows all while maintaining her composure. Rouga would occasionally intervene to correct the mistakes that they were unconsciously making, and try to get a feel for their techniques.
BOOM! POW! POW! POW! POW! BOOM!
"Alright... your turn, Tsu."
Tsuyu nodded and unleashed a kicking barrage into the punching bag.
Day Three
Kendo and Kirishima were sparring each other without their Quirks trying to perfect their techniques. Kyoka and Tsuyu were doing the same, but the former appeared to be more adept at it.
Kirishima adapted his style to be more Boxing based along with Kendo. As the two continued to spar, Kendo was parrying each one of his attacks until she saw an opening, and followed up with a surprise uppercut into the gut.
GHACKK!
Kirishima was stunned! Kendo followed up with jabs and straight punches, all into his upper body frame.
'D-Damn...I'm being pushed back...by Kendo!'
Kirishima needed to do something to stop her punching barrage…
Tsuyu was using kicks against Kyoka but there was a glaring weakness: they were telegraphed. Dodging them was easy but striking her was a different story. Each time Kyoka tried landing a punch, she would leap back to avoid it or side-step, making her miss. She wasn't going to give up like that easily.
Day Four
Tsuyu's least favorite thing of the evening. Grappling. However, being thrown to the floor was a close second. Who knew that Kyoka would be good at takedowns or throws?
On the other hand, it was Kirishima's turn.
"Coming right at you!"
The red-haired boy threw a strike. However, Kyoka timed it correctly: she latched onto that arm, then used Kirishima's weight against him, performing an over-the-shoulder throw onto the ground.
"Good, Jiro! Kendo, you're up."
'Oh, no. '
She only hoped that Kendo would hold back. Maybe.
SLAM!
Maybe not. If the shoulder throw was any indication.
COUGH! COUGH!
"Oh, crap... I'm alive!"
"Pain is weakness leaving the body, Jiro," Rouga replied. "Next!"
Day Five
"Okay, it seems we're making progress so far," Rouga spoke up. He picked Kyoka and Kirishima first to spar. Both of them took their stances and it began, the purple-haired girl striking first but the latter solely blocked.
Kyoka switched to kicks instead which forced Kirishima to switch up to striking. The latter was able to land a few good hits but the former managed to land a potential finishing blow. A crescent moon kick into the boy's side.
GHRK!`
The redhead clutched his side in pain, leading Kyoka to wail on him with several more strikes.
The next match was between Kendo and Asui. The difference between them was clear as night and day. She tried landing some hits but they were either parried or hard-countered.
BOOM!
A one-two combo from Kendo sent the frog girl flying across the room.
'Doesn't she know how to hold back?!'
Day Six
Today's topic was finishing moves.
"Alright, I want you to remember a few things. Your finishing move doesn't need to be original but it needs to be reliable."
"Yes, Sensei!"
Kirishima was up first, taking up a Boxing stance, and then threw the first jab.
Sharpened Rock: Red Mountain!
A series of jabs and hook punches, 16 to be exact. All Quirk-enhanced.
"Hmm… alright. Good start. Next!"
Jirou went up next, getting into an MMA stance.
Heartbeat Rush!
A series of blows but with a twist: her ear-jacks used in tandem. She was aiming to damage the opponent internally.
"Good. Next!"
Kendo was up next, assuming her normal stance.
Four Star Blow!
Two straight punches and two hooks. Each strike was delivered with lethal intent. Kirishima blanched a bit, muttering to himself if Kendo should hold back a bit when they spar.
Asui stepped up, assuming a low stance.
Frog Interceptor!
She did a small run and performed the two-touch spinning kick into an imaginary opponent. Rouga noted that it worked better as a counter-attack.
Day Seven
"Alright, I managed to snag two fights. Who wants them?" Rouga asked.
In a split second, both Kyoka and Kirishima's hands went up.
"Alright, your fights will be next weekend. Train up."
The next week was composed of sparring and polishing up on finishing moves. It ended the same as always. Complete exhaustion. It was on a Wednesday that the four started a new conversation.
"You know… why did I... join again?" asked Jiro, panting. The other three struggled to answer but you can blame that on exhaustion. To everyone's surprise, Kendo answered.
"Hero Training sessions can only take us so far, Jiro," she answered. "I speak from experience, sparring with Midoriya can attest to that."
"Good… point. What's another reason..."
"It's to be better prepared, ribbit," Asui responded. "We don't want a repeat of the USJ."
Jiro froze for a bit but ultimately agreed: no one wants to go through something like that again. On the positive side, she's in better shape. On the other, she wonders how Midoriya survives training with Rouga.
"This… will… sound… like a hot take from me..." Kirishima started, "I don't think… the hero training sessions are enough."
"It doesn't seem - what's the word - substantial enough," Kendo said. "Knowing you, the matches sound like your ideal place," with a smirk.
Kirishima grinned in response.
"I… can… agree with that. All the previous hero training sessions just feel halfway… then again, some of our classmates aren't the best in close-quarters," said Jiro, slowly getting her strength back.
"I never thought... Sato would… be a bit clumsy in a fight," Kirishima said.
"A majority of our classmates aren't as skilled as I thought," Asui answered, slowly getting up.
"I'm pretty sure they don't train with a brutal instructor daily… I think. Except for Kaminari," Jirou said. The four had another thought, what was Rouga's stake in all this? Was it a promise to Midoriya? Was he thinking of getting a protege?
"Oi, don't tell me today's session wiped you out that badly."
The four turned their heads to Rouga who was standing at the doorway.
"I'm curious, Rouga. What's your stake in this? Arranging fights for us, training us, what's your endgame?" asked Jiro. He took a minute to answer.
"I did overhear saying that your hero sessions might not be enough, am I right?" The four nodded yes. "Knew it. That's the issue with hero academies. Schools like UA neglect some of the basics."
"Like?" Asui asked.
"Do they have a block for sparring?"
"Y-Yes," Jirou said, " But it's only two days of the week."
"... are you fucking serious?" sputtered Rouga, "Bunch of bèn dàn if you ask me. If you rely too much on your Quirk, everything else suffers. It's like a craftsman relying on one tool while neglecting the rest, a sign of a terrible craftsman to be honest."
"What else?"
"Underground fights are the closest you'll get to a fight with actual villains, barring what shit went down at the USJ."
Saitama Super Arena
A purple-haired girl walked alongside a red-haired boy, both of them were extremely nervous. They were standing in front of the 2nd largest indoor arena in the world, the Saitama Super Arena. Max seat capacity: 36,500. On top of that, it has hosted some of the biggest MMA fights in Pre-Quirk history.
However...
The age of Quirks put a dent in the arena's longevity. Like the Olympics, it was destined to become a shadow of its former self... until a budding fighting promotion called the Duelists Grand Prix proposed: let them use their arena for their yearly tournaments, and in return, they get a cut of the profits.
It wasn't a difficult choice.
Lo and behold, the first Duelists GP made their debut 40 odd years ago. In the following years, other fighting promotions breathed life back into the Saitama Super Arena and others in Japan alone. Some of them include Valmazons Pride, Steel Hearts BKB, and a few others to name.
"Nervous, are we?" asked the white-haired man in front of them. "Don't worry, it's normal. If it's anything, it's one of their smaller events."
A sigh of relief went through both of them. One of them muttered, "Thanks, Rouga... that makes things easier to handle..."
"I wouldn't exactly take it easy yet. I got some info on the opponents you're facing."
Both of them perked up, especially Jiro.
"For Jiro, it's a Taiwanese fighter who's a bit off-kilter. Kirishima, it's a pro boxer who won titles in four weight classes."
"Any idea on the type of Quirks they got?"
"That was the tricky part. On the Taiwanese fighter, it's some sort of pain dilution Quirk. For the boxer, it's a vibration-based Quirk. Otherwise, that's all I have."
Both hero students nodded but Rouga continued.
"To reduce your chances of being recognized, I registered you both under ring names," Rouga said before taking out the fight card.
Red Stone vs. Ruben Tumbo
Kyogami vs. Joanne Qiang
"Kyogami?" questioned Jiro, wondering if Rouga put some thought into these ring names.
"It takes the kanji of sound and biting."
"Soundbite... well, it could have been worse."
Kirishima, on the other hand, appreciated the ring name. Loudly. However, Rouga needed both of them to focus, saying "You need to remember, these underground matches may forbid death... but getting beat within an inch of your life is acceptable."
Jiro had to do a double-take but Rouga continued.
"If it's any consolation, you'll be out on a stretcher as soon as the match's called."
"Wait, is there a healing team on standby?!"
"Yup. A fully stocked team of paramedics," Rouga replied, assuaging her worries.
The group made their way through the entrance and they were directed to an elevator on their left.
"Wait... so we're not fighting-" Kirishima asked.
"No. That's for the public," as Rouga went into the elevator. The two followed subsequently.
DING!
"Where we're going… is where the real fights happen. Just a word of advice: avoid getting into locker room brawls."
"... are some of them that volatile?" asked Jiro, albeit deadpan.
"Unfortunately, yes," Rouga muttered in response, "It doesn't help that some of them have extensive criminal records."
"Wait, what?!"
DING!
"And we are here. Let's get moving."
The three quickly moved out of the elevator and they, mostly Jiro and Kirishima, were shocked at how large this entire arena was. The ring in the center was shaped like an octagon, the rows of seats being on an uphill incline, and a huge monitor on the right-hand side.
"This way, you two. We're going to the locker rooms to change. It should be..." Rouga was thinking, "That way!" pointing to the east end.
Saitama Locker Rooms
The two locker rooms were separated by gender. For Kyoka, it resembled the changing rooms they had at UA. For Kirishima, it felt like stepping into a man's realm. Rouga was waiting outside for the two to change.
Kyoka was changing into a fighting outfit but had a million thoughts racing through her head.
Does she belong here?
Is she going in over her head?
Is this-
"Hey, we're on the clock," Rouga said, derailing her thoughts. She quickly changed into her outfit for the night: purple thigh-length MMA shorts with a purple sports bra to boot. To calm her nerves, she shadow-boxed.
As soon as she was out the door, she saw Kirishima in his outfit: a pair of MMA trunks, colored crimson, and the cherry on top? A lion on the right side.
"Alright, you two?" Rouga pointed out. "Look alive. As of now, the commencement's about to begin."
The two tilted their heads in question, but he pointed out the monitor above the exit.
Saitama Octagon
A blue-haired woman was in the ring, she took a deep breath, and at her highest volume…
"GOOD EVENING EVERYONE~"
The whole crowd was silent but a green-haired boy in the crowd knew it was a voice-based Quirk.
"I'll be your host for the evening! Name's Setsuka Zofukuki! I know all of you are excited about tonight's events… now... " Setsuka raised her hand, " I DECLARE THE COMMENCEMENT OF THIS YEAR'S DUELISTS' GRAND PRIX!"
The whole crowd cheered loudly, to the point where the whole arena was shaking. Just in time for the commencement theme to play.
[Record of Ragnarok OP - Maximum the Hormone]
As the cheers died down, the hostess made her next announcement.
"The first match… will be… " as Setsuka paused for dramatic effect, " Joanne Qiang vs… Kyogami!"
A small dressing room is where a lone woman stood. Brunette, braided hair, and armed with a blank look on her face. She was shadow boxing or shadow throwing to be more accurate...
"Joanne, you're on in three minutes."
She just hummed in response.
"Just try to keep your nature at bay, you had a tough time in Taiwan because of what you did. The entirety of Central Taiwan wanted your fucking head."
"Don't worry about it," said Joanne too casually. As she walked past her manager, he muttered whether or not she's capable of restraining herself this time.
Saitama Octagon
The crowd was silent, awaiting the first fighter's arrival. However, that silence was broken by a slow rock theme.
["Little Monster" - Royal Blood - Self-Titled Album]
"Once a promising Judoka from Taiwan, she fights to take back what was lost! She'll slam all opposition before her. Standing at 162cm [5'4] and weighing at 52kg [114lb]. With a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. One Throw, One Kill! JOANNE QIANG!"
Qiang walked onto the ring with a confident step. Some of the crowd saw her outfit: a pink sports bra with a pair of white gi pants. She did some stretches for a bit, loosening up a bit.
["Give me a Break" - Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN OST]
"And her opponent, a newcomer to the Duelists Grand Prix! A newcomer to the DGP! Coming in at 154cm and weighing 43kg [95lb]. Please welcome… KYO...GAMI!"
Kyoka walked out with a steady pace, then took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and then looked at her opponent. As her theme died down, she noticed something off about her.
As the announcer cleared the floor, there was the referee who looked like a reject from an emo rock band. He motioned for the both of them to come closer.
"I'll explain the rules…" as the ref took a deep breath, "Beat the fuck outta each other until only one of you motherfuckers is left standing! Am I fuckin' clear?! "
Both fighters nodded as they took their stances. Kyoka taking an orthodox MMA stance with her shoulders rolled forward while Qiang took a Judo stance with her right hand further out.
"Okay… BEGIN!"
She dashed forward, hitting her with a low kick.
BAM!
It barely stunned her, but that was her first mistake, getting in too close. Qiang stepped forward to land a right hook into her cheek.
BAM!
Kyoka was reeling. Qiang grabbed her and used her grip to duck underneath her armpit by forcing it upward. Next, she used both hands: one on the tricep and another underneath the groin.
She lifted her with her chest facing the other fighter's side and…
SLAM!
Te Guruma!
Kyoka was fully awake and in pain.
GAH!
"Shit, Kyogami's in a bad spot! Can she recover!?" Setsuka said. She quickly got up but stayed her distance. However, Qiang smirked a bit by stepping forward. The violet-haired girl side-stepped her and delivered a hook into Qiang's cheek. Next, she grabbed her head for a headbutt.
BOOM!
Qiang still had that same smirk.
"My turn."
She grabbed her by the hair and wailed at her with wild punches and for a final insult: an elbow into her nose. All with that same smirk.
"Is that it for Kyogami!" Setsuka exclaimed. In a twist, Kyoka defied it by dropping low and going for a takedown! Qiang didn't even resist as she was slammed into the mat. The violet-haired brawler assumed the mount position and wailed on her with various strikes.
BAM! BAM!
BAM! BAM!
BAM!
"Holy shit! Qiang's not even resisting! Kyogami might turn this around!" Setsuka exclaimed as Kyoka struck her in the face but something was off. Very off. Qiang was still smirking.
THUD!
Kyoka held her throat, gagging. This was Qiang's opportunity! She slipped one foot underneath Jirou's chin, locked her hands behind her head, and pressed her shin against the violet-haired girl's trachea.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Qiang's got her in her infamous Gogoplata!" Qiang was tightening the chokehold, even more, making Kyoka gag further.
"...disappointing. Like one student of mine," Qiang spoke, though the convo was pretty one-sided, "Complained too much about being the test dummy..."
Kyoka was still struggling.
"Slammed him into the mat over say… 10 times..." Qiang said, relishing the memory. "Shut him up."
Kyoka was wondering what the fuck Qiang was talking about, no matter, she needed to get out of this chokehold.
JAB!
"What's this?! Did Qiang convulse? Folks, it seems Kyogami's full of surprises! OOH! Her grip's loosening!"
Kyoka used her ear-jacks on Qiang, though it didn't hurt her, her chokehold loosened. Just a little more, the brawler thought.
JAB!
JAB!
Qiang's Gogoplata was broken. Jiro backed away, not wanting to get caught in a chokehold twice. However, she stood up with that same smirk.
"How are you still standing?!"
"Oh, simple," she said before closing the distance. Qiang's follow-up being the clinch, then grabbing her head and striking her face. With her knee. Repeatedly.
"I-"
BOOM!
"Can't-"
BOOM!
"Feel-"
BOOM!
"-Pain!" as the final knee strike sent Kyoka's head upward. However, the former wasn't done yet. She responded with several jabs into Qiang's face.
'Qiang's Quirk is either immunity to pain or a durability enhancer.'
Kyoka's face switched to disbelief, realizing that she didn't feel a thing. The only damage she dealt? A bloody nose. The latter barrelled after her, intending to grab her.
The violet-haired brawler side-stepped and struck her in the cheek but it didn't phase her!
JAB!
JAB! JAB!
She was stunned for a bit but Qiang still smirked, snickering to a degree.
"So, it's nothing like t-"
BOOM!
She then tackles her to the ground and gets into the mount position.
WHAM! WHAM!
WHAM!
WHAM! WHAM!
Qiang was wailing on her face with hammerfists, still snickering, and then came the unthinkable. Kyoka's neck was gripped!
"Oh, please. I have done worse," as Qiang tightened the grip on the poor fighter's throat. "Like. So."
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Kyoka's face was starting to bleed, her airways getting constricted, she would die. Qiang wouldn't stop… she just wouldn't… stop…
The hits kept coming…
SPLURT!
"AAAHH!" yelped Qiang, clutching her ear. One of the ear-jacks retracted from the bleeding ear. Kyoka had a brief moment of respite, the bitch was stunned, and this led to...
BAM!
A headbutt. Right into her fucking nose. And another. And another. It bought her a few seconds. She managed to kick the bitch off.
"You… bitch..." Qiang snarled… before laughing a bit. "That hurts but I'm feeling good..."
"The hell's your Quirk..." Kyoka said before realizing: Qiang's Quirk allowed her to convert pain into pleasure, diluting pain to a degree. As she finished that thought, she rose despite the bleeding ear.
Kyoka was catching her breath.
"Well, you guessed it. It's called Masochist. Not that it matters," as Qiang went after her again. Kyoka dodged her grabbing attempt by side-stepping and following up with an ear-jack jab.
Qiang dropped to a knee.
"Gotcha now, motherfucker!"
The violet-haired brawler launched a roundhouse kick to the back of Qiang's head, slamming her to the mat.
BOOM!
"DOWN!" exclaimed the ref.
' Stay down... '
1!
' Just stay... '
2!
3!
4!
' Just-what the?! '
"Folks, Joanne Qiang just got up by the five-count! OH SHIT! HER HEAD'S BLEEDING! Wait, she's smiling!?"
Kyoka couldn't believe it, Qiang was standing despite all the bleeding and this led to an uncomfortable conclusion.
she can't beat her without killing her.
The vicious judoka turned to face her with a grin, her forehead covered in blood, and her response?
"Now… where were we?"
Kyoka yelled as she went for an overhand but nope! Qiang caught her and slammed her onto the ground via shoulder-throw.
"Come on, we're just getting started!" Qiang said, hoisting Kyoka up, and slamming her down onto the mat. Temple first. The violet-haired girl gasped a bit in pain but worked through by sending a kick at her ankle.
She stumbled a bit. However, Kyoka kept striking at her ankle until she heard a small cracking sound. As soon as she was distracted…
BAM!
She sent an elbow strike into the liver. Qiang held that spot in pain which led Kyoka to do the unthinkable…
SPLORCH!
The whole crowd was silenced.
She shoved her thumb into one of Qiang's eyes.
"Agh! You… fucking… piece… of-"
BAM!
Kyoka shut her up with a high roundhouse kick.
"Down!"
1!
2!
3!
4!
5!
At the six-count, she got up once again, shaking off that kick to the head. "You know what, I'm starting to wonder if you're being serious, Li Jie."
'Who?!'
"Eh, you know what," Qiang said with a shrug. "Maybe slamming you onto the mat several more times should help you."
In a few moments, Kyoka started putting the pieces together: Qiang harmed Li Jie or worse! Killed him.
SLAM!
Kyoka slammed Qiang with her shoulder, taking her down to the ground once again. However, this was a mistake. As the violet-haired brawler was striking her bleeding ear, she felt her ribs compress…
"The… fu..." as her breath shortened.
In the stands, Gakuto was pissed, near-shouting, "That's Do Jime! A dirty technique in Judo!"
Qiang used her legs to compress Kyoka's ribcage and kept at it. However, would that stop Jiro? No. It wouldn't.
She kept striking her face… even as the chokehold tightened.
WHAM!
An elbow into Qiang's face stunned her, making her chokehold slack. She wasn't going to let this go, Kyoka launched another elbow and another, all into Qiang's already-bloodied face.
'I almost got her...!'
CRUNCH!
"WHAT THE?! Did I just see that?! Qiang just bit into Kyogami's shoulder!" Kyoka was gritting her teeth in pain, but two can play that game.
JAB!
Qiang's bite immediately loosened but the damage wasn't too bad: minor bleeding. Jiro needed to finish this fight fast. However, she needed to take into account all the damage on Qiang and her too.
If anything, the psychotic judoka had more injuries in comparison to her. The most prominent ones: bleeding eye and punctured ear-drum.
"Oh, don't worry… I'll make it hurt..." Qiang said. Then rushed right at her, Jiro responded with her ear-jacks and a front kick to the face.
Jiro wasn't taking any chances on this one.
Heartbeat Rush!
A series of strikes were sent into Qiang along with her ear-jacks. Each strike would likely cripple her.
"Go down, you-"
BAM!
Qiang launched a left hook into Jirou's face, stopping her onslaught.
In those few seconds, she gripped her and slammed her into the mat, face-first.
"Down!"
1!
2!
3!
4!
5!
6!
Jiro gasped a bit, slowly getting to her knees, her nose was bleeding, but she was pissed. Extremely.
Unfortunately.
She was feeling a bit wobbly. Her ribs ached too.
"Well, it's time to end this-"
Jiro's response: uppercut to Qiang's chin and ear-jack to the neck. She was now shaking a bit, falling to a knee, clutching her neck a bit.
In a minute, the violet-haired brawler got Qiang into a guillotine choke and fell backward, tightening the chokehold.
BAM!
Jiro grit her teeth in pain, she knew that Qiang was trying to break her hold.
BAM!
By punching her damaged ribs.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Jiro gasped in pain as she tightened it further. Qiang's strikes were slowing down. They still hurt like a bitch, the violet-haired fighter thought.
BAM!
Qiang landed one last strike into her ribs. This achieved her outcome: breaking out of Kyogami's chokehold. She saw Kyogami clutching her ribs in pain. Best of all, she's wide open.
STOMP!
STOMP!
STOMP!
"What's-"
STOMP!
"The-"
STOMP!
"Matter!"
STOMP!
STOMP!
In a minute, Kyoka was fading in and out. She needed to do something and fast!
JAB! JAB!
Qiang fell to a knee, shaking, and best of all? Kyoka got back up, although she was definitely on her last legs.
' Qiang too. '
As the other fighter struggled to stand, Kyoka interrupted that with a roundhouse kick to the jawline.
Qiang was down on the mat, bleeding from that kick… but something was strange. She was laughing.
"Oh… my… it's been a while since I fought like this," she said with glee.
BOOM!
Kyoka lands a kick against her face, felling her. She hoped that the psycho stayed down, she should know better.
"Oh, come on. Is that it?" she taunted. Kyoka elected to throw a punch instead-
BAM!
Qiang denied her strike via elbow into her temple, dazing her. Then a hook into the ribcage.
BAM!
"Feel free to collapse."
BAM!
"I won't hold it against you."
BAM!
Each of Qiang's strikes was sent dead-center into Kyoka's frame, all with a sadistic bent to it. "I recommend you do so."
BAM! BAM!
"About..."
BAM!
"Now."
Kyoka fell to her knees, coughing up blood. Qiang wasn't done just yet… she grabbed her by the neck, intending to choke her out. Little did she knew, the former had one last gambit. She hoped it would work.
JAB!
Time seemed to stand still.
One of Qiang's arms went limp, dangling like a hook. She should have realized this. Her mistake was not being wary of her ear-jacks. As payment, her right clavicle's gone.
"What the-"
BOOM!
Qiang's thoughts were shattered by a headbutt.
"You're… going… down… bitch."
Kyoka didn't give her enemy the chance to respond, she went on a barrage of strikes, all dedicated to putting this bitch down for the count. Qiang barely put up her guard and opted for a counter.
JAB!
Qiang was stunned by one of her ear-jacks, only to feel the pain of an uppercut to the chin. Kyoka followed up with the double leg takedown, slamming her into the mat for good measure too.
"Feel free… to collapse..." as Kyoka was on top.
BAM!
The first strike was sent into Qiang's already-wounded face. The first of many, she launched strike after strike into Qiang, and she wasn't gonna stop. No matter what.
She's surviving this.
No matter what.
Even if it means putting this bitch six feet under.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM! WHAM!
WHAM! WHAM!
BAM!
She then switched to headbutts.
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Kyoka snarled before one last-
"That's enough!"
"W-What?!" exclaimed Kyoka as she was pulled off a bloody - but unconscious Qiang. The disturbing thing? She had a small smile on her face.
"The winner of this match… Kyogami!"
In a rare moment of clarity, she raised her hand in victory for a few moments. All before slumping to the ground... and coughing up some more.
"Get a stretcher! NOW!"
The stands loudly cheered except for a section in the middle. Rouga was there, breaking his silence.
"Shit, Qiang was tougher than I thought."
"She'll be okay… right?" asked Todoroki, concern in his voice. Midoriya, next to him, was unsure. Mina had the opposite reaction.
"Hey, we gotta make sure Kyoka's alright!"
Gakuto needed to be held back from killing Qiang. Renato had to calm him down by reassuring him that the psycho might not be able to walk for a while.
"She needs help! Go to her, you idiot!"
It took a few seconds for him to calm down.
It took another few for Gakuto to run wherever Kyoka was.
"I hope he doesn't do something stupid..." Renato said to himself. "Especially in a place like this."
In one section near the back. A blue-haired student along with his master was conversing but the former was more vocal.
"She tried to kill her..."
"That's how some of these underground fights go, Xuétú. There are some that fight with honor. Others don't. Sometimes, you'll get the rare one that's a mix of both."
"I… understand, Sensei."
"Do you have any more questions, Young Iida?"
"Yes. Have you ever fought in some of these matches?"
"Only a few times," Narusagi answered. "Other times, I fought them while I was a vigilante."
Iida absorbed this info but held his tongue.
"Jiro… she… won. But barely," whispered a female voice.
"Yes, Yes, she did," spoke a calm voice, revealed to be Edgeshot. "Yaoyorozu. This is but one example of how underground fights can escalate."
"Understood, Edgeshot-Sensei."
"I do speak from experience," as Edgeshot unfolded his arms.
"Which promotion did you fight in?"
"It was a fighting promotion in mainland China. Three Realms Championship was its name."
Momo nodded in response but focused on Jiro being carried to the ER. Edgeshot gave her the go-ahead. As she went, the ninja hero himself wondered who was next.
Arena ER
Jiro was put on a hospital bed by the medical team. One of the doctors realized that she's been put through the wringer.
"Alright, hold her steady."
Name: Dr. Odoroki
Quirk: Shock Treatment - The user can heal the injured with an electric-based touch, kick-starting the healing process at a fast rate. Side effects unfortunately include static electricity.
As soon as his hand made contact, Jiro was briefly shocked, shaking a bit.
"Alright, it should kick in… now."
Jiro was gritting her teeth as her wounds healed. As she was resting, a pair of footsteps came in and recognized both voices.
"Is our friend alright?"
"She's still healing up but she should be fine," the doctor answered.
"G...Gakuto? Y...Yaomomo?" Jiro asked, albeit weakly. The brown-haired boy was glad she was alright while Momo sighed in relief.
"Ow… still hurts..."
"If it's anything, you did a great job in your fight," Gakuto responded, "but that fucking blighter was a sadist."
"Yea, a sadistic bitch," Kyoka replied but winced in pain. "However… ow… I think I got an idea. She was likely a teacher of sorts."
"Teacher?" questioned Momo. "What did she say?"
"Something about a student named Li Jie and slamming him down onto the mat constantly."
As both of them absorbed this info, Momo went into her phone and went to search: Taiwanese crimes in the last five years.
In a minute, an interesting article popped up.
10-Year-Old Judo Slammed 20 Times in Local Dojo
"What the..." Momo said, shocked. As she read into it, she looked at accompanying articles that support it, and there was a common factor: Joanne Qiang. She grew a bit incensed as she read on. She read enough to verify what this Joanne was prior. A budding sadist.
Joanne Qiang was a Judo instructor for a local dojo five years ago. The victim's name was Li Jie, an elementary school student who became Qiang's punching bag. She had a lot of questions but seeing how she was beaten into mush, courtesy of her friend. She wouldn't have the energy for a question or two. Good.
"If you ask me, Jiro… you should have punctured both eardrums."
"In hindsight, I think me beating her to a bloody pulp is a close second."
Gakuto was silent for a bit, his desire to murder Qiang was building up, even-
"Hey, you alright?"
"Yea, yea, I'm alright. It's just..."
"I know, you're worried. But hey, I can hold my own," Jiro said, reassuring him.
"I knew you could do it, Jiro. But goddamn, you gave her a right beating."
"Wait, how are we gonna see the next fight?" Momo asked. Her answer would come in the form of a nurse that turned on a TV near the ceiling. It was a plasma screen TV set to be specific. "Thank you, ma'am."
"It's nothing..." as she walked out.
Saitama Octagon
"Alright, folks! That was an intense first match! Now, we have the second match of the evening!" the announcer exclaimed. The whole crowd exploded in enthusiasm, causing the stadium to rumble.
[ watch?v=o5cOSald4wc - "Unbreakable" - Bon Jovi]
"In the left corner! He's hard as stone and rarin' to go! Coming in at 170cm [5'7] and 61kg [134lb], he makes his debut at the Duelists Grand Prix! Please welcome… REDDDD STONE!"
As his theme music blared, Kirishima was walking to the ring with a mix of nervousness and excitement. The crowd noticed it and hyped him up a bit. "You got this, Red Stone!" yelled a random fan. "Show us how truly unbreakable you are!" yelled another. The red-headed teen's nervousness was going away, even for a bit.
[ watch?v=vimZj8HW0Kg - "Mama Said Knock You Out" - LL Cool J]
"In the right corner! He's a four-time champion in the field of Boxing! Winning titles from the minimumweight class to super flyweight class, he dominated each opponent by KO! Coming in at 165cm [5'4] and 52kg [115lb]. With a record of 41 wins and 3 losses. The Pride of Managua! RUBENNN TUMBOOO!"
The other fighter walked with a sense of confidence, almost walking to the beat. Kirishima got a good look at him; Tumbo was short, lean, and muscular. In addition, he had a buzzcut, stubble on his chin, and his expression was casual. As he walked to the ring, the red-haired boy looked calm on the outside but he was looking forward to this.
"Parece que encontré un espíritu afín," Ruben said to himself as walked into the ring. Both fighters faced each other, ready to fight. Kirishima took a stance that was best described as crouching. Knees bent, upper body down, and hands raised.
Ruben took an orthodox stance in response, left foot farther in front of his right, and Kirishima could feel it. He's fighting a champion in his debut match. He can't afford to be easy about this. Two weeks training with-
"Relájate, chavalo," Ruben spoke. "Vamos a dar a esta gente un espectáculo que nunca olvidarán." A grin forming on his face.
"I don't know what you said... but it sounds manly from the way you said it!" Kirishima responded. In a few seconds, the ref stepped in and yelled out.
"Are you ready!"
Kirishima and Ruben both nodded in response.
"FIGHT!"
Author's Notes: One thing to mention, I'll be posting on A03 more so than FFN.
AN: Well, I'm part of a couple of Discord servers, one of them being Darklogic's Writing Corner [throwing around ideas here and there]: [ s]: [ / / d. [ g g ][ /7xFu9r4QEy]
[ s]: [ / / d. [ g g ]/wUjTR63exT] [One for any Jirou fan or IzuJiro fan in general AKA the Cult of Shady which is not a cult at the same time either]. Just remove the spaces and brackets.
Odoroki - Surprise [Japanese]
Ben Dan - Idiot [Chinese]
Xuetu - Apprentice [Chinese]
Zofukuki - Amplifier [Japanese]
In terms of inspiration, Joanne Qiang was inspired by three things: Jenny Huang [visually], Meguro Masaki, and a real-life crime that happened in Taiwan recently. Don't worry, she's not meant to be sympathetic in any sense.
Do Jime - A judoka will squeeze their legs together tightly around an opponent's body. This can result in rib damage, lung compression, and worse.
Te Guruma - You grip your opponent via groin area and upper body [stabilizing purposes; lapel; shoulder, etc.]. Next, you duck underneath the opponent's armpit and once you face the opponent's side, you throw him/her.
Gogoplata - Also called the Kakato-Jime, it's executed from a guard position where the legs are held very high against the enemy's upper back. You then slip one foot in front of the opponent's head and under his/her chin, locks your hands behind the opponent's head, and chokes the opponent by pressing your shin or instep against the opponent's trachea. [Gogo refers to adam's apple area AKA Portuguese word]